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TARA
Authors note: Tara was the mother goddess of ancient Druids and a sea goddess in Polynesian mythology. The Hill of Tara was the seat of power for Irish high kings. '' The Known World A place much like our own Earth, '''Tara '''is a round, rocky world with an erratic orbit around a reddish Sun that gives way to strange seasons. A singularity in time and space exists on the planet's southern pole (the continent '''Vaalbara'), called the Rift. This object first appeared long ago during Tara's last great Ice Age, and in the eons since its disgorged energy, the " Rift's Wake", has seeped into the world itself. Much of Tara's fantastic landforms, weather, and life is attributed to the Wake's mutations, and often the laws of physics are bent and warped by closeness to the Rift (for instance physically approaching the singularity causes extreme time dilation, and many ancient fleets are stranded on its event horizon). MAGIC Magic exists in a less obvious manner than, say, wizards tossing fireballs at each other (pyromancers are more likely to be entertainers, alchemists blend science and mysticism, and glamorers, oracles, and enchanters practice openly in some realms). The Rift is commonly believed to be the source of true "magic", and the ebb and flow of the Wake is strongly tied to blood and prophecy. CREATION MYTHS There are many different myths surrounding the formation of the World. Dwarves believe it is a living being (the "Stone") and perhaps even sentient, possessing a geological sense of time and scale. A Dwarf would point out that the world is often wracked by quakes and eruptions, that even mountains move with the passing of ages, and coral reefs are essentially alive. Humans have many, often contradictory beliefs on the matter; some compare it to a pearl or egg, the shell of a tortoise, or a god's very thoughts made substance. Elves, notably, have no such legends, their ancestors - the Siorai '- having come from another dimension beyond the Rift. LANDMASSES Tara itself has never been completely mapped, and only four landmasses have been properly explored. *'UR: a fractured supercontinent, and the largest and youngest of Tara's landmasses. The interior is dominated by cold high plains and a spine of towering mountain ranges whose watershed divides Ur into two distinct climate zones (the drier half being called Outremer-pon-'Yavanna'). The Oldgrowth forest covers Ur's northwestern peninsula, while iron rich mountains ringing its southern coasts insulate it from the Rift's Wake. For two millennia it was more-or-less unified by the Tiberian Ecumene, which ruled the known world from the Painted Kingdoms of Land's End to the Mountains of Mourn. For the last few centuries it has endured an apocalyptic dark age called the''' Fallow Wars', or the '''Last Endings'. *'VAALBARA': now a lost continent, Tara's southern pole was its oldest landmass but was never near as large as Ur or Yavanna. Very little is known about it, other than it was by turns once the home of the Elves, Chiron, Giants, and Pan. Adventurers who return from this place speak of fogs that cover the land like a death shroud, seas that boil into steam, and floating mountains. Strange lights and stranger stars play in its skies, and the leaves of its forests shift from black to white. Rain falls upward, compasses lose their bearings, and the wind blows through perplexing geometries in a land with no true surface. *'YAVANNA': technically a subcontinent attached to Ur, Yavanna's climate ranges from tropical to superarid (its huge mountains casting long rain shadows). It was originally inhabited by men but was conquered by Elves; the two races mingled, becoming a new people. Yavanna enjoyed a golden age millennia before Tiberium existed but was always divided among hundreds of princedoms, each a suitor to the''' Mab of the Summer Court (the Elvish queen). The Ecumene went to great lengths to secure trade with Yavanna, building a 4000 mile highway that cost millions of lives. *'''YS: A large and forbidding volcanic island caught in a grueling cycle of fire and rampant growth, Ys was once a Tiberian penal colony where the Ecumene dumped the worst of its criminals and exiles. When the border's began to shrink Ys was forgotten about and over the centuries slid into barbarism. Its searaiding peoples hug the coasts and cliffs in driftwood villages made from shipwrecks, and hunt Kraken. Ys is also home to teak-skinned natives (with animal-like patterns on their skin), and all manner of nasty wildlife and diseases. Author's note: ''Vaalbara is the name of Earth's first theorized supercontinent, having formed 3600 million years ago. Ur was a continent that formed 3000 million years ago in the Archean era, and is Earth's second oldest landmass. Ys is a mythical city that was built on the coast of Brittany and later swallowed by the sea. Yavanna was an Ainu or goddess in Tolkien's Silmarillion, in charge of the growth of all fruits and living things.'' RACES There is a bewildering variety of life and culture, and some races are completely independent of a common "tree". Siorai (Elves), Humans, Korrigan (Dwarves/Gnomes), Chiron (Centaurs),' Pan (Fauns)', Gnasha (Ogres), Lith (Giants), Mer (lobstermen) and Huron (Dryads) have little relation to one another. Author's Note: ''Most races do not think of themselves as "Elves" or "Dwarves", etc. These are human names. The name Siorai means "Endless" or "Eternal" in Gaelic; Korrigan are dwarf-like spirits in Breton mythology; Chiron was a famous Centaur and warrior-scholar in Greek mythology; Pan was the Greek god of the wild, and was a faun; Huron are a native American people, similar to the Iroquois; Lith is the Greek root for "rock" or "stone", which is fitting given that Giant's are a Stone Age people'' FLORA & FAUNA Even seemingly mundane creatures might be more intelligent than you would assume. Truly fantastic lifeforms like Rockworms,Siltwalkers, and Wyverns '''are often dismissed outright as tall tales, but are all too real. * '''Basilisks: '''The smallest Basilisk is maybe 30 ft. long, and they only get bigger as they age (it is believed that they live so long because they shed their skins). Although a Basilisk will eat anything they can overpower (they kill by constriction but are also highly venomous) they do not go out of their way to hunt anything, let alone humans, instead merely waiting to ambush prey and digesting their biggest meals over a matter of weeks. They have a crown like crest on theirheads (similar to the crown of horns seen on dragons). Their skins are quite beautiful and are highly sought after as leather. Basilisks are native to Yavanna, Ys and the Nesoi isles, preferring the dank humidity of the tropics, but have also been found in the private menageries of Tiberian Consuls. * '''Blackfin: '''Whales are a rare sight on Tara; all but the biggest and most cunning species have been devoured by Kraken. Blackfin (orcas), Longfin, and Prowhead are still found in the waters off Land's End. All but the Blackfin (who are too clever to catch) are hunted for their meat and blubber. * '''Dragon: '''A dragon is no mere beast - it is the world's apex predator, and everything beneath it is its prey. They are just as intelligent (if not more so) as humans, but are utterly alien creatures motivated by greed and cruelty. During the Last Endings they burned much of the world into ashes and spawned uncontrollably, eventually cannibalizing each other when prey grew scarce and going back into a long hibernation. Any permanent settlements they razed to the ground just for the sake of marking their territory; this is why Dwarves live underground in their stone Vaults, Elves dwell in their hidden sanctuaries, and what's left of humanity is stuck in a Dark Age. Dragons see themselves as a crucial part of the world's "natural order", culling the lesser races' numbers every few millennia; unsurprisingly many cultures have worshiped them as gods. ** Biology: A Dragon can practically live forever if they are not killed outright, hibernating for centuries and growing bigger and more virile with age (though their scales lose their luster). They hibernate sleeping hanging upside down like bats, and are often mistaken for giant stalactites (which grow on them like barnacles). Their bones are carbon black and harder than diamond yet incredibly light; bone, eggs, heartstrings, scales, teeth, organs, etc. are all highly prized luxuries. Dragon blood is highly corrosive and even flammable, capable of eating through steel plate or melting stone, and congeals into a tarry pitch-like substance. Their eggs are called "clutches"; in a single clutch there might be a thousand eggs, only a handful of which will hatch (the rest will be consumed by the hatchlings, who will then instinctively devour each other). ** Trivia: Only an idiot would try to ride one. A Tiberian Magister once raised a dragon hatchling, keeping it chained in the Crucible, hoping to tame it. The beast devoured dozens of slaves and nearly burned the city down before it was put to death (with its master). The Elves purposefully tried to wipe out dragons, seeing them as a long-term threat to their survival, and were very successful. '''Note that the names of most dragons were given to them by Elves, a dragon's true name is unpronounceable by any other creature. *** Coronis: ''According to many human legends Coronis (false dawn) is a beast that devours the Sun (causing the eclipse). His scales flash in the Sun like tarnished copper, and his black eyes are rimmed with gold fire. In reality he is very old and somewhat toothless by dragon standards, forced to scavenge and bully packs of wyverns, and likes to roll around in lava fields like a dog. Only the Elves remember this monster's deeds; how he harried the Giants (stealing their mammoths and torching whole herds of aurochs), his game of wits with the Pan, and how he burned much of the Oldgrowth out of pure spite.'' *** Myyrha: ''A female dragon, Myyrha (widow) lost an entire clutch of eggs to the Elvish hero Findas, who also slayed her hatchlings and castrated her mate, Reagh. Findas stole one of her eggs and raised it, naming it Ismene. Ismene devoured him when he tried to ride her, before being slain herself. Myyrha ate Troad and all his offspring, Findas' prize wyvern who had helped the Elf murder her children by distracting her. '' *** Charops: ''Charops (ravenous maw) was given enormous tribute (i.e. herds of livestock, vast hunting grounds, chests of shiny things) by the Tiberians, and in return he gave them strategic advice by flying over their territories and spying on their enemies' armies, though he rarely busied himself with any actual fighting. He choked to death on an elephant's legbone, but by that point was too fat to even take flight.'' *** Troad: Although popularly remembered as a dragon Troad (trickster) was actually a wyvern who possessed incredible cunning and commanded a brood of several dozen offspring. He was bred and trained by the Elf hero Findas to hunt dragons, and famously wore armor made from real dragonbone. Troad had a special taste for dragon eggs. He was burned and eaten alive by Myyrha. '' * '''Hart: '''A white stag native to Ur's forests, the Hart has an impressive crown of antlers and is considered the "king" of all woodland beasts. Unfortunately it is such popular game that it is nearly extinct, its rarity making it even more highly prized. * '''Leviathan: '''Massive hammerhead whales with armored skulls and encrusted with razor sharp barnacles, Leviathans are queerly intelligent beasts found only in the southernmost oceans. Their keening songs are quite beautiful and they are surprisingly gentle beings. * '''Marrowleech: '''Tiny leeches that swell to enormous size (as long and thick as a man's arm). If left untreated they can suck a man dry of fluids, even down to the bone marrow. Some cults use them for sacrificial bloodletting. * '''Mockingjay: '''A peculiarly clever bird, mockingjays can be taught to mimic voices and parrot words and phrases, literally carrying messages. However, they do not know how to withhold information; unsurprisingly kings often keep paid hawkers to cull their numbers. An old wive's tale has it that it was the Elves who taught birds to speak, and the birds taught the Elves to sing. * '''Redwolf: '''If the Hart is the king of the forest then the redwolf is its jester. A fiendishly clever beast, a redwolf resembles a hybrid of a fox and wolf in size and coloring. Because they are so elusive their pelts are greatly treasured by huntsmen. There are many tales of a redwolf turning the tables on noble hunters, luring them deep into the woods where they lame their horse or lose their bearings, or lead them into the path of a hungry bear, or trick archers into shooting their friends. * '''Rockworm: ' * Shadowcat: 'An agile, stealthy, and powerful creature the Shadowcat is a vicious predator that prowls in the branches overhead and stalks its prey for days on end. It is nocturnal, sleeping all day high above the forest floor. Shadowcats are excellent climbers despite their enormous size. * '''Siltwalker: '''A nightmarish creature that vaguely resembles a two-legged praying mantis, siltwalkers are crustaceans taller than most men that walk on stilt-like legs and have two pairs of scything forelimbs. They tend to dwell in swamps and estuaries where there is an abundance of fresh prey. Siltwalkers are ambush predators and can stay perfectly still for days on end (often posing in such a way that they resemble a bare tree), waiting to grab some hapless creature and eat it alive. They devour their mates and rivals, decapitating them. * '''Wyvern: '''Often mistaken for dragons, wyverns are lesser beasts - they are much more smooth and serpentine-looking and lack forelimbs, and instead of a dragon's jeweled coat of scales their skins are as luridly colored as a tree frog. They are warmblooded creatures not capable of breathing fire or even true flight (instead they glide on volcanic thermals and spend days climbing back into their eyries). They also lack a dragon's raw intelligence, size, cruelty, and greed, at best mustering a vulture-like cunning and hunting in "broods". Wyverns are originally native to Vaalbara where they nested in its floating islands but have long since spread to Ys and the Nesoi Isles. They are carnivorous; while they prefer to hunt in wetlands they are scavengers first and foremost, even cannibalizing their own dead. A dragon is a wyvern's most feared predator (and is likely the reason why they are so afraid of fire); ironically dragon eggs are a wyvern's favorite meal, and they will sacrifice their own brood just to get at a dragon's ''creche. Their bite is gangrenous. ** The elves managed to tame wyverns in Vaalbara but did not ride them (would you ride a tiger or crocodile?), treating them much like a favorite hawk. Although they used them as terrifying beasts of war that would dive out of the sky - their screams driving men and horses mad with fear - they were at first trained to take out dragons, overwhelming them with their sheer numbers and tearing out their eyes and tongue. The plant kingdom is no less varied and one cannot do justice when speaking of Tara without mentioning the sprawling, green gloom of the Oldgrowth or the '''Wildergreen, '''the humbling immensity of the '''Root of the World, the amnesiac fragrance of a prickly Dreamsage, or the terrible walking Blights. Thurs (Trolls)'''and Huron (Dryads) are perhaps the most incredible branches of this kingdom. More mundane flora include * '''Kingsbane: '''a legendarily poisonous herb found in royal forests * '''Rockbreaker: '''a kind of toxic saxifrage found in mountain valleys, causes digestive cramping and death by starvation unless purged * '''Wakeleaf: '''used as invigorating smelling salts * '''Ironroot: '''notoriously tough trees that are nearly impossible to uproot, it is not uncommon for farmers to simply leave an ironroot standing in the middle of their fields * '''Inkvine: '''a fragile vine that bleeds a black, viscous fluid when broken, often used by scribes for ink * '''Tiberian Laurel: '''worn as crowns by Tiberians * '''Vainglories/Withercomespring: '''sunset-colored roses that bloom in the warming Thaw but wither come Spring * '''Spindlewive * Thorningcrown ''' * '''Emberseed * Larkflower * Primblossom: '''a delicate orchid * '''Spitfires * Cronestongue * Silverbough: '''a pale tree with silver-edged leaves * '''Maidenwort * Brierblume * Snowjoy: '''a blue flower that blooms in winter * '''Ambling Alp: '''tenacious trees often found growing in high, rocky places * '''Marching Pine * Jessamine Tea * Nightcaps: '''mushrooms, gathered by Gnomes and brewed into a potent, psychedelic brew * '''Hagsuckle * Sleepersbloom * Whorlingwoads * Runewood * Crowfoot * Clottingmoss * Manderwort * Blueruin * A-far-eyes * Dragonsbreath * Shepherd's Bride * Fevrerue * Bitterbalm * Noonshade * Greygill Category:Fantasy Category:Fantasy World Category:Fantasy Worldbuilding Category:Tara